New women’s giving circle aims to make big local impact


First meeting set for Nov. 1

SPRINGFIELD, Va., (Oct. 16, 2012) — A new women’s giving circle has formed in Northern Virginia in an effort to make a local impact with charitable dollars.

At its first meeting on Nov. 1, 100+ Women Who Care Northern Virginia will be potentially making a collective donation of $10,000 to a nonprofit organization serving the region.

“We’re following the example of other groups across the United States,” says 100+ Women Who Care Northern Virginia co-founder Traci Richards. “They’ve proven that a committed group of like-minded women can have a tremendous local impact. And they’ve proven it doesn’t have to be complicated.”

“Simple and efficient” are essential components of the 100+ Women Who Care concept, according to Richards. The group meets quarterly for one hour and learns about local nonprofit agencies. Voted on by the group, one agency is selected to receive individual checks of $100 from the members. The checks are written directly to the local agency, not a foundation or 100+ Women Who Care, so there are no administrative fees.

“I’ve heard from so many women that they want to do something and be involved in some way in giving back to their community, yet their time and funds are limited,” Richards explains. “With 100+ Women Who Care, we now have a simple mechanism to make a huge impact, but it requires very little in terms of time and dollar commitment.”

The group is open to all women interested in participating. Members who attend and contribute at meetings are eligible to nominate at meetings are eligible to nominate local charities to be considered for the quarterly donation.

The Nov. 1 meeting will be held at the George Mason Regional Library in Annandale at 7:30 p.m. For more information and to sign up, visit www.100wwcnova.org.

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